Data: White American Births Below Replacement Level in Every State

The U.S. needs a birth rate of at least 2.1 children per woman to replace the current population of the country without experiencing population decreases

The United States birth rate remains well below the replacement level needed as white American births plummet in all 50 states and the District of Colombia.

New federal data released by the Center for Disease Control reveals that American women are having less and less children needed to sustain the current population. In 2017, all but two states in the country had birth rates below replacement level. The total U.S. birth rate was about 1.765 children per woman.

The U.S. needs a birth rate of at least 2.1 children per woman to replace the current population of the country without experiencing population decreases.

(Center for Disease Control)

States like California, New York, Wyoming, West Virginia, and Washington, DC, saw the lowest birth rates in the country. For example, Washington, DC, had a birth rate of only about 1.7, far below the 2.1 level needed to replace the metro area’s population.

Meanwhile, only South Dakota and Utah had birth rates above replacement level. South Dakota had a birth rate of about 2.2 children per woman, while Utah had a birth rate of about 2.1 children per woman.